53 teachers out sick Friday

MIDVALE, Utah (News4 Utah) Widespread illness forced Canyon School District to get creative when an abnormal number of teachers became too sick to teach.

For the third day in a row, more than 50 teachers called in sick Friday. What's worse, many substitutes are out, too.

"We are using other teachers. We are combining classes. We are doing whatever we can to put our kids with quality people," said Justin Pitcher, principal at East Midvale Elementary.

On Wednesday, 51 teachers were out with a cold or the flu. Fifty-four teachers weren't able to work on Thursday. On Friday, 53 teachers were sick. Canyons School District Spokesperson Jeff Haney said that's the equivalent of three elementary schools without teachers per day..

"In the nine years that I've been at the Canyons School District, I have not seen this type of issue where we had so many teachers who have been sick," Haney said.

Administration called their list of substitutes, yet, found many of them were sick, too.

It's so bad at some schools, according to Hanes, parents who've completed background checks stepped in to help.

"This has been interesting," Hanes said.

Administration hopes the three day weekend allows district staff and faculty to rest up and get better by Tuesday.

For information on becoming a substitute teacher at Canyons School District, call the human resource office at 801-826-5500. Applicants must pass a background check and have an Associate's Degree.